The person skilled in the art knows that a poultry's wing includes an upper wing (also called drummette), a midwing, and a wingtip. At the elbow joint that connects the upper wing with the midwing a capsule and ligament are provided.
EP-B-1 868 443 indicates a method and apparatus for processing a wing of a poultry carcass in which the wing is still attached to the poultry carcass and wherein the processing results in separation of the midwing from the upper wing. The known method includes the step of cutting the wing in the upper wing adjacent to the elbow joint. However, this step merely amounts to a cutting through the skin that has been placed under tension and is applied to reduce this tension so that thereafter the upper wing and midwing can be moved apart more easily. Further cutting means are applied that cut into the capsule in the vicinity of the elbow joint without, however, damaging the bones of the upper wing and midwing. Moving apart of the upper wing and midwing is executed in a subsequent step of bending the midwing in relation to the upper wing by moving it counter to the pivot direction of the elbow joint for separating the bones of the midwing and the upper wing. After this separation step is completed, the midwing is cut loose from the upper wing while the latter remains attached to the poultry carcass.
Although EP-B-1 868 443 claims that twisting the midwing in relation to the upper wing so as to cause the elbow joint to break brings about that the capsule will come off the humurus bone of the upper wing and be carried along with the midwing, it is clear that the taught cutting in the very capsule results in incomplete or unreliable removal of the capsule from the upper wing. It may even happen that cutting in the capsule results in unintended damaging of the bones of the upper wing and/or midwing, which may cause bone splinters to become part of the midwing after separation of the upper wing.